Railway car bolster suspension



March 14, 1944. w. R. ELSEY I 2,344,034

RAILWAY CAR BOLSTER SUSPENSION Filed Oct. 3, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 J W1 '1 WIL'SSES: 1' NVEN TOR:

ATTORNEYS.

March 14, 1944. w, R ELSEY RAILWAY CAR BOLSTER SUSPENSION Filed Oct. 3, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 14, 1944. w. R. ELSEY RAILWAY CAR BOLSTER SUSPENSION Filed Oct. 3 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEQS.

March 14, 1944. w ELSEY 2,344,034

RAILWAY CAR BOLSTER SUSPENSION Filed Oct. 3 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR; Warren RELsez,

' ATTORNEYS.

INVENTOR; Y Warrenl'fiElsez i ii fi MW Maych 14, 1944. w. R. ELSEY 2,344,034

RAILWAY CAR BOLSTER SUSPENSION Filed Oct. 3, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 LFYCRJZ- I 00 M 5 :12 511 m 59 an 48 5a WITNESSES.-

ATTORNEYS.

m s STATES PATENT OFFICE RAI AY CAB'BOLSTER SUSPENSION Warren It. Elsey, Wynnewood, Pa., assignor to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application, October}, 1942,. Serial- Nb. 460,589 I s claims-101. los -193) invention has general reference to railway car trucks and is more-especially concerned with the smooth riding qualities of such trucks.

Accordin ly, this invention is adaptable and adelevational, view taken approximately as Fig. 8 is a perspective view designated by the angled-arrows vrr-vn in' Fig. 1.

7 across the truck frame showing one of spacedmid-region convantageously applicable to the trucks of passennecting members and associated anchorage ger cars, and it is hereinafter explained with brackets, all of which are hereinafter fullydeparticular reference to a bolster type truck; scribed; while the instant application, which is a mm Fig. 9 is a similar view. to the preceding of thetinuation-in-part of a prior case'with clariflcabolster. '1 tion of a detail therein previously unexplained, 10 .Fig. 10 is a corresponding view of the springfiled by the same applicant on November 20, 1940, plank.

under Serial No. 366,344, refers to a floating Figs. 11 and 12 are fragmentary plan views suspension for the bolster of such car trucks. similar to the mid-portion of Fig. 1 but show- More' concisely stated the primary object of ing the resp e parts in difiel'ent cooperative the instant improvements is to resiliently- 00- w relation; ordinate the bolster with the car truck frame Fig. 13 is a somewhat reduced scale, longituandspring-plank by novel stay means positively dinal, fragmentary view similar to Fig. 3, but accommodating relative service movements ,as Shaving t e p t in a iiiiferentipositigii aha; well as absorbing all vibrations. g. 14 is a cross-sec ona vew s ar While the above noted object is indicative, Fig. 2, likewise showing the, parts inia diiierent ina general way of the aim of thisinvention, position.

other objects, with ancillary advantages, will In describing the form of this invention, ex-

become-evident to those skilled in the art, upon 'emplifled in the above captioned drawings, afull undestanding of the construction, arrangeherewith, Specific temps W be p oy d for the merit and operafion of the floating bolster sus- Sake of ty, but t is t be understood the pensioh hereinafter djsclosgd. This invention is scope of said invention is not thereby limited; susceptible of other embodiment than the one each such term being intended to embrace all chosen for illustrative purposes in the accomg g'l which Perfm'm the same 9 anamgous panying drawings, and structurally modified so 7 forms come equally well within the scope of the Referring'mtre fietan to h drawings and concluding claims. by way of facilitat1ng comparison with the lathe drawings: parent application, previously identmed, like Fig. l is a top plan view of a railway car truck refererfe mf i be f f i fg embodying the improved floating bolster susrespec of consecutye or and ones applied to the details forming the important pensmn of fins mvention with fragmentary features of the instant subject-matter ion removed and in section for clearer illusport t 1 d The truck frame It comprises side, intertration of a detail hereinaf er exp aine me d1 ate and endmembers H, m a m spew Fig. 2 is a staggered cross-section of the same, w tively; loadwarrymg bolster m substantial taken as conventmnany mdicaf'ed by the angle mid-way transverse to the lengthwise dimension lines in r of the frame it, said bolster extending across Fm 3 is a fragmentary lmgitudmal section and under thehollow side members ii and have taken appmidmatjely as indicated by the angled ing a center provision 86 for pivoting the truck arrows "m in 1 and as it to the associated car body, not shown; while 8- is a fragmentary drawn axles i8 with wheels 19 afford runningsupport large! taken as indicated by e for the truck on the railway track. The axles W n in f a It are conveniently supported by aid of verrls- 5 is a perspective view of a flexible a tically movable mountings, pivoted to depending nectar hereinafter fully described. brackets 23, from the frame side members ll, Fig. 6 isa fragmentary p pective view, 1001!, and cushioned outwardly of the wheels I by ing downwardaof the mid-region of the truck spring devices ":flallas inthe hereinbefpre frame andbolster. ferred to. applica on.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary. part sectional, and 7 Referring now to the bolster suspension, formn the instant subject-matter. it is to be first r:

marked, by reference to Figs. 1-3 and 9, more particularly, that the bolster i is of inverted channel-section and provided at the ends with brackets "affording connection for the upper ends of hydraulic shock-absorbers, the lower ends whereof areattaohed to brackets I 4, rigid with the ends of the spring plank 46, Fig. '10, saidplank embodying socket sections II for reception of the lower portions of conventional compression" springs 41, one only being indicated in ,Figs. 2 and 14, which resiliently support said bolster from the truck frame l6 in'accordance with the above referred to prior, application In addition the bolster I5 is furnished with spaced rigid anchor ages 61 on'the web portion H, as well as flanking anchora e brackets 62, preferably, permanently attached to the side flanges 24' of said bolster; while the spring plank 4615 mainly of I-seotion, see Figs. 2, 3 and'lO and provided with anchorages 6|. The spring plank 46 is conveniently suspended from the truck frame ill by transversely swingable suspension-links 52hung, by pivot means 25, Figs. 1-3 and 14, from brackets 53 on the truck-frame side members ll; said links or swing-hangers 52 having slotted connection at 26, Figs. 2, 3 and 14, with the ends of the yoke'54 rockably engaged below a bearing 55 inserted in a pocket on the underside of the spring plank 48; while emergency supports 59 are securedintermediate the frame cross-members l2 by means 21, under said spring plank, to prevent the latter from falling on the track should the supporting means 52, 53, 54 fail.

For resiliently coordinating or controlling the.

On the other hand the stays 60 are,'prefera'bly, of tubular section with end-closing flanges 35 and axially-aligned solid extensions 36 affording support for resilient units or flexible connector ele- :ments 31-, see Fig. 5. Each such unit or element 31 is clamped .in position by a washer 38 and lock-nuts 39, on the screw-threaded reduced end 43 of the stay extension 36; and such unit or element 31 comprises inner and outer concentric 10 thick and substantially thinner sleeves 4|, 4|

respectively, with an intervening stout rubber bushing '42 suitably adhered to said sleeves. These units 31, it will be seen, seat intermediate inner annular shoulders 49 in the associated bracketanchorages '64 on the frame cross-member l2 and the upper cupped portion 62 of the bolster flanking anchorage bracket 62, and anguposition of the bolster l5 and the spring plank 43 transversely of the truck frame l0 or, in. other words, their lateral and longitudinal movements, use is made respectively of fore-and-aft resilient ,stay elements 66 and transverse resilient stay elements 66, 63, now to be described.

The fore-and-aft elements 66 are flexibly connected intermediate the anchorage brackets 6'! on the bolster I 5 and somewhat similar anchorage brackets 61' upstanding from one of the truck- -.frame cross-members 12 as clearly understandable from Figs. 1 and 3. Stay elements'60 are intermediate side bracket-anchorages 64 on the cross-members 12 to flexibly connect with the anchorage brackets. 62 on the bolster l5; while stay elements 63 flexibly connect intermediate the v bolster brackets 62 and the spring-plank anchorages 6 I.

In view of the fact that the stay elements 63 and 66 are structurally similar an explanation of one of the same is herein deemed suiiicient and, for such purpose, reference is made more particularly to Fig. 7 and ,from which it will be observed that each stay' 63 or 66 comprises an axis rod 29 engaged through the flanged ends 30 of a concentrically related tubular component or spacer 3|, andcorresponding apertures 32 in the diaphragm portions 3.3, 34 of the respectively associated anchorage 61' or 6| and the bolster anchorage bracket 61 or 62. Incidentally, it is to be here remarked that all of the anchorages 6|, 61, 61'

as well as the anchorage brackets 64 are, in-- dividually, of cupped formation; while-theanchorage brackets 62 are multiple-cup'ped-for a purpose later on explained. Apertured rubber discs 42 having adjustment shims 43 are located at opposite sides of the anchorage .diaphragms 33, 34 between the tubular component flanges 30 and clamping washers 44 with associated locknuts 46, on the screw-threaded outer ends 45,

of the axis rod 23.

Jar section rings 50 attached to the anchorages 62, 64 by securing means 65, said rings being clampingly coactive with the oute sleeve H of the device 31, in an obvious manner.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the bolster I5 is resiliently coordinated to, or floatingly suspended from, the car truck frame ill by means of the fore-and-aft and transverse stays 66, 60, respectively; whereas the spring plank 43 is similarly coordinated by the transverse stays 63, to the bolster I5 while being pivto the spring plank 48. Also, in view-of the loadsustaining bolster l5 being pivoted to the car body by the center provision l6, it will be understood on reference to Figs. 11 and 12 that any directly lateral or angular movement of the truck 45 frame I 0, respectively, due to trackway planar deviations from the normal are compensatively absorbed by the several stays 60, 66 and 63 without transmittal of any strain or vibration to the car body through the bolster I5. Similarly from Figs- 13 and 14 it will be seen that any tilting or canting of the truck-frame l0 longitudinally or transversely caused by trackway undulations or when rounding curves are compensatively absorbed by the stays 60, 66 and 63 without displacement of the spring plank 48 relative to the bolster I5 and car body. In other words, 'the bolster I5 is floatingly suspended in respect to the car truck frame ID at all times, irrespective of any abnormal rimning conditions,

while being definitely connected with said frame and the spring plank by flexible coordinators.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: .1. In a railway car truck, a frame comprising side longitudinals and connecting cross members; an inverted channel-section load carrying bolster; a spring plank of mainly I-section suspended from the frame beneath the-bolster and supporting the latter at its ends with interposition of spring means; stays including rubber bushing and apertured-disc elements, respectively in shear and compression, connecting the bolster to the truck frame and the spring plank to said bolster for cushioning their movements laterally of the truck, said bushing elements serving to allow a greater amount of movement than the apertured-disc elements; and stays including apertured-disc rubber elements, also in compression, connecting the bolster to the truck for controlling movement of the bolster longtudinally of the truck, said last mentioned disc elements being arranged to limit such longitudinal movement of the bolster to an extent less than that allowed for its lateral movement.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the stays connecting the bolster to the truck frame are of tubular section and have end-closin flanges with axially-aligned solid extensions; each associated rubber bushing respectively includes an inner and an outer concentric thick and substantially thinner rigid sleeve suitably portions with their inner faces abutting a rigid projection from the bolster and the spring plank respectively; and corresponding stays further connect the bolster to the truck frame for controlling its movement longitudinally of the truck.

WARREN R. ELSEY. 

